Apparatus for storing and dispensing liquefied hydrocarbon gas



APPARATUS Fon sToRING AND DIsPENsING LIQUEFIED HYDROGARBON GAS D. J. LITTLE July 18, 1939.

Filed April l2, 1937 Frasi: L//va yPatented July 18, 1939 APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPENS- ING LIQUEFIED HYDROCARBON GAS David J. Little, San Antonio, Tex., assignor to Southern Steel Company, a corporation o! Texas Application April 12, 1931. serial Np. 133,490

8 Claims.

is discharged above the tank and the service conduit to supply additional heat, which insures a continuous supply of gas and revaporizes any condensate in the service conduit.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification, when considered' in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

ing a system embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slightly modied form of the invention; and

5 Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 'L -3 pf Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to the drawing, a pressure storage tank In, partially lled with the liquefied gas, is sho'wn in Flg.`1 as being buried o in the earth below the irost line. Itis-placed in a pit and surrounded by porous heat conducting material Il such as wet sand or the like, so that it may absorb some heat from the earth .to vaporize the liquid.

5 A discharge conduit I2 is connected to the tank and is shown as extending above the ground level. A cut-oil' valve i2 and an ordinary pressure regulator Il are connected to the conduit above the ground, where they are easily accessible, it being understood that they may be housed in a suitable protecting cover (not shown). A tee I5 having a illing plug Il is Iprovided in the conduit below the pressure regulator so that the lling hose oi' a service tank hose may be connected to it.

5 'Ihe tank also has a vent pipe Il carrying a. valve Il and a vent plug i9 above the valve to permit the gas receiving or vent hose of a service tank to be connected to the vent pipe. A slip-tube gage 20 like that shown in my cpending application, u Ser. No. 136,489, led April 12, 1937, is adapted to be lowered through the bent pipe past the valve I8 to determine the level in the'tank. It is contemplated, however, that an ordinary float operated gage may be employed. The arrange- 5 ment is such that the storage tank-may be con- Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section. shownected in a closed circuit to a service tank, as explained in my aforesaid application. When the storage tank is lled to thedesired level, the valves I3 and 9 are closed, the service tank hoses removed and the plugs i6 and I9 replaced. 5 Then, the valve I3 is again opened.

A service main 2i is connected to the low pressure side of the regulator and is shown as projecting downwardly into the ground to a point near the level of the storage tank III below the frost line. It has a cut-oi! valve 22 which maybe closed during the filling operation. A horizontal run or length oi pipe 23 extends immediately above and parallel with the tank. 'I'his portion of the main is utilized as a heat exchanger to revaporize any condensed gas in the service main. In this instance, a small water spray pipe 24 is connected to discharge water above and through out substantially the length of the pipe 23 so that the water will come in contact with the pipe and also trickle through the earth iill or sand around the storage tank I0, thereby providing additional heat for vaporizing the liquefied gas in the tank. This additional heat is sometimes very necessary. especially during cold weather, to sup- 25 ply some of the latent heat of vaporization of the liquefied gas. If desired, the water may be drained from the bottom of the tank pit by an ordinary drain pipe 25. Thus, a constant supply of gas is assured in' the coldest climates. It is contemplated that the water may be cut oil during hot weather or in hot climates. The length or portion 23 of the service main is arranged at the lowest level thereof so that any condensed gas will ow to it and be revaporized.

In Figs. 2 and 3, there is shown a slightly modiiied form wherein the tank i0 is placed in a concrete vault 30 in the form of a rectangular box having cover slabs or boards 3i and the service pipe 23' extends longitudinally through the upper i portion of the vault above the tank in the same manner as explained in connection with Fig. 1. The water spray pipe 24' is arranged above the service main to spray the water on it and permit the water to drain downwardly on top of the storage tank. The used water may be drained through an outlet conduit 25' connectedto the bottom portion of the concrete box. The concrete vault is preferably built in the ground below the frost line, as in Fig. 1, so that the water in the spray pipe will not freeze in cold climates.

In this case, the air in the vault is heated by the surrounding earth and serves as a natural heating medium for the tank. The heat supply is augmented by the water sprayed on the tank.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the improved system is extremely simple in its design and reliable in operation. It may be manufactured and installed at a very low cost and has no complicated or delicate parts which require frequent attention or replacement. It is Well adapted for household and commercial installations.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and subcombinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a liqueied gas dispensing system of the class described, an underground storage tank; a gas discharge conduit connected to the tank; a pressure regulator connected to said conduit; a service main connected to the pressure regulator and having a portion located above and adjacent to the top of the tank; and a pipe connected to discharge relatively warm water in heat exchanging relation to said portion of the service main and said tank to revaporize condensed gas in the service pipe and also supply additional heat to the tank.

2. In a liquefied gas dispensing system of the class described, an underground storage tank; a gas discharge conduit connected to the tank: a pressure regulator connected to said conduit; a service main connected to the pressure regulator and having a portion located above and adjacent to "the top of the tank; and means for supplying relatively warm water to heat said portion of the gas main and also supply heat to said tank.

3. In a liquefied gas storage and dispensing system of the class described, a pressure storage tank buried in a pit below the frost line; porous heat conducting ller material surrounding the tank; a gas dispensing conduit connected to the tank-and having a portion buried in the porous filler material above the tank; and means to deliver relatively warm water through the ller material so that it comes in heating contact with said dispensing pipe and tank.

4. In a liquefied gas storage and dispensing system of the class described. a pressure storage tank buried in a pit below the frost line; porous heat conducting nller material surrounding the tank; a gas dispensing conduit connected to the tank and extending above the ground level; a pressure regulator connected to the dispensing conduit; a service main leading from the regulator back into the ground and having a portion buried in the ller material above the tank; and a water spray pipe also buried in the flller material above the service main and tank to discharge water so that it will Supply heat to the lowest portion of the main and to the tank.

5. In a liquened gas storage and dispensing system of the class described, a pressure storage tank buried in a pit below the frost line; porous,

heat conducting ller material surrounding the tank; a gas dispensing conduit connected to the tank; and means to deliver running water through the porous illler in heating contact with the tank.

6. In a liqueed gas storage and dispensing system of the class described, a vault buried underground below the frost line; a storage tank inthe vault; a gas dispensing conduit and main connected to the tank and having a portion in said vault above the tank; a water spray pipe above said portion of \the conduit within the vault to discharge water to heat it and said tank; and a drain connected to said vault.

7. In a liquefied gas storage and dispensing system of the class described, a vault buried underground below the frost line; a storage tank in the vault; a gas dispensing conduit and main connected to the tank and having a portion in said vault above the ta and means to deliver running water through the vault in heating contact with said conduit and tank. i*

8. In a liqueed gas storage and dispensing system of the class described, a vault buried underground below-the frost line; a storage tank in the vault; a gas dispensing conduit and main connected to the tank and having a portion in said vault above the tank; and means to deliver running water through the vault in heating contact with the outside wall of the tank.

DAVID J. LITTLE. 

